Terrorism: A History (Themes in History)

This book was required reading for a course on terrotism i found it good

I adopted this as the primary text for my “Politics of International Terrorism “ class based on the very good opening chapters (I had to make a quick decision.) I don’t really regret it as overall the author explains some very complicated aspects well. There is a certain left wing bias most notable in his rejection of the (well documented) fact that the Soviet Union supported many terrorists groups, providing sanctuary, weapons, training, and intelligence. Some communist satellites like east Germany and Cuba even went farther than Moscow would have liked, causing problems for dealing with the West. Also, jihadist terrorism gets rather short coverage including some canards like claiming that the US armed Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War. Where did we get all those Russian tanks, guns, and aircraft I wonder? Still, on balance, good work on the vast sweep of history.

The 2nd Edition of “Terrorism: A History by Randall D. Law is an interesting look at history through the ages. The book illustrates that terrorism is as old as human civilization, but it has changed throughout the times. This book is a good overview of terrorism without going into any depth of any event. However, the author includes a Bibliography at the end of each chapter. These contain a ton of references for anyone who wants further information on specific events or times. The book, after all, is a history book that the author wrote for use in a college level class, and it reads as such. With that said, it is readable and interesting. And the author did a very good job of describing the history of terrorism and weaving everything together. The analysis helps the reader understand more than just a listing of events. The book is definitely good for the student who wants an academic look at the history of terrorism, but I think it will also help others in the security fields better understand the history to better predict and deal with future terrorism. At the end of the book, the author briefly, and I mean very briefly, touches on the future of terrorism, anti-terrorism today, and counterterrorism today. I would really like to see him write more on these areas. The deserve much more than the mention he provides here. But I do understand why he included what he did, because the focus of this text was history, not these three areas. If you are wanting a very good overlook of the history of terrorism, this book is a great place to start. For some, it will be enough. For others, who want more, this book provides the resources to expand your research into any incident or era you are interested in.

Though this book is a history book, written for collegiate use, I have found it to be very well-written and enjoyable to read. The author is good at telling stories, and framing historical events as stories, which makes this book fun to read. Even the introduction to this book is good, and often they are so boring that I just skip them. I never really had thought about the killing of Julius Ceasar as an act of terror, but it was a good launch point. It's all too easy to think of terrorism as a modern form of warfare, but there's lots to be learned from the past, both ancient and recent. The book is well organized in a chronological fashion, so it is easy to look up any particular thing if needed or wanted for a reference. To do that though, is to lose a bit of how the book builds on cultural significance of terror, and terror as a symbol, that continuously evolves. He includes lone wolf type white supremist terror, like Dylan Roof, who's act definitely hit at a cultural symbol, as well as older KKK acts.

exactly what I was looking for and well-written, well-researched.

Randall D. Law’s second edition of Terrorism A History is not something that you pick up on a rainy Sunday and knock out before dinner. It is fairly dense, academic level discourse of the history of terrorism, which is not helped by the font that this book is written in, which tends to turn many sections of the book into a slog. With that said, the reader will learn a lot as Law does a really good job of tracing the evolution of terrorism from ancient times to present. I would suggest that we learn that often times no matter what package one wraps terrorism in, the more it stays the same. I think if you are someone who studies terrorism all the time, then this book needs to be on your shelf in the New Year. While it is supposedly written for a broader public audience, I think that a lot of people would have trouble with this text despite Mr. Law’s best efforts because of all the names and terms that the work taken in its entirety throws at you. At the end, I found myself not so much relishing in the connections between terrorism than and now, but rather that I had finished the book.

Amazing read, this really ties together how terrorism has moved through the ages. This is very easy tot read and offers a depth of insight into terrorism int he past and how it has evolved over time and how each new group has been influenced by prior incarnations.What I also find amazing is how Randall shows us the consistent errors we have in trying to overcome terrorism, it seems like the old definition of insanity. This is a good read that really kept me engrossed. I would recommend this to any history buff or anyone that wants to understand what is going on today.

A good review of the evolution of terrorism, breaking it up into time frames for ease,and showing how the acts of terrorism build upon previous eras. Gives a good education on the basis, relations, and goals of the field. A good scholarly starting point for someone interested in the subject. If you like scholarly treatises and are interested in the subject, I recommend this book. All the best, Jay